The Earth's natural resources comprise the basic raw materials for many types of construction materials and products. However, these resources may be contaminated with organic and inorganic contaminants with pollutants from nearby industrial processes and thus may not be suitable for use in their contaminated state for building and construction products. The cleanup of such natural resources can require a substantial outlay of equipment, energy and resources and can thus be prohibitively expensive.
A significant component of the expense of cleaning up natural resources is the cost to transport the contaminated resources (soil, water, etc.) to and from a remediation or treatment facility.
Mobile remediation apparatus for dredging waterways and for fabrication of construction products from the dredged material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,608 to Gurfinkel et al.
Three primary materials used in the building and construction industries are concrete, brick and fill material. Concrete is typically manufactured from a mixture of approximately 30% coarse material, such as sand, 30-50% aggregate or other coarse particulate matter, 7-15% cement binder, and 14-21% water. Concrete is formed by placing the mixture in forms and allowing the mixture to cure for up to several days.
Brick is typically manufactured from clay or silt (at least 50% by weight), which is comprised of relatively fine particulate matter, no more than about 30% by weight sand, and between 8 and 12% water. Bricks are formed by placing the clay mixture in molds and drying and baking the mixture for up to several days to drive off the moisture and form a hard, brittle product, which is then cooled slowly. The bricks can be optionally glazed and/or colored to seal them and provide decorative or identifying markings.
The term "coarse", as used herein, means any particulate material having a mean particle size of at least 0.063 mm. The term "fine", as used herein, means any particulate material having a mean particle size of less than 0.063 mm. The term "sediment", as used herein, means a material comprising up to about 50% water and at least one of sand, soil, silt, clay and loam. The term "pulp", as used herein, means a material comprising at least 50% water and at least one of sand, soil, silt, clay and loam. The term "contaminant", as used herein, means any type of substance which is present in the environment in amounts which are toxic to health and/or life. The term "industrial waste", as used herein, means any solid, liquid or gaseous byproduct of an industrial process, including, but not limited to, solvents, chemicals, carcinogens, organic and inorganic materials, combustion products, and the like. The term "hazardous waste", as used herein, means any solid, liquid or gaseous waste product of a chemical, biological, or biochemical process, including, but not limited to, radiological, medical, bacteriological, chemical and other infectious waste. The term "heavy metals", as used herein, means any compound or complex of a metal which may be considered toxic if ingested or absorbed into the body in more than miniscule amounts, including, but not limited to, mercury, lead, bismuth, arsenic, cadmium, gold, silver, platinum, nickel, chromium, aluminum, beryllium, and molybdenum. The term "clean", as used herein, means to remove impurities in a liquid or steam washing process. The term "decontaminated", as used herein, means a product in which contaminants have been immobilized as complex compounds or neutralized so that the contaminants are not susceptible to leaching or otherwise escaping from the product into the environment.